DA clears Huntersville officers in deadly shooting

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The district attorney said he will not charge the officers involved in a deadly shooting in January in Huntersville.

The man was shot and killed on Jan. 13.

Officers with the Huntersville Police Department went to the 9800 block of Gilead Hill Court just after 9 p.m. for a domestic assault call.

Officers said that when they got to the home, they met a woman at the door who appeared to have injuries to her face. She told them 42-year-old Joseph Hilton did it and said he was armed.

Police said as they approached Hilton lying on a bed in the home upstairs, they gave him verbal commands. Officials told Channel 9 the officers felt threatened by Hilton’s actions, and they opened fire. He was hit by several rounds and died at the scene, officials said.

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Investigators are working to figure out if Hilton shot at officers first, or if he shot at all.

Officials said the officers involved in the shooting - 36-year-old John Allen and 28-year-old Travis Watts - have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a preliminary investigation into the incident by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Neighbors said they couldn’t believe what had happened down the street from them.

“I think a lot of people didn't actually realize what was going on,” neighbor Ben Barbour said. “The only reason we knew is they actually lined this entire street, all around our house, with police cars with flashing lights, and so, to see all of this activity was kind of a shock.”

Neighbors described seeing a heavy police presence outside when the incident happened.

"We were up and all of a sudden we just started seeing flashing lights and we were like, 'What's going on?'" Barbour said. "(We) went down downstairs and they basically surrounded the entire house with police cars, so we knew something big happened."

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